ACTFL 2012November 16-18, Philadelphia, PA
“Assessment for AP German Language & Culture and Beyond”
Peg Meyers, Mt. Lebanon High [email protected] or [email protected] Watzinger-Tharp, University of [email protected]
Outline of Presentation
• AP Language & Culture Exam Task Models • Three modes of communication • Six themes• Essential question
• Tasks in Teaching & Assessment • Formative and Summative Assessment• Tasks Beyond the AP Exam Task Models
• Presentational writing based on three sources• Interpersonal speaking
• Resources for Authentic Materials
The Standards andThe Three Modes of Communication
AP German Language and Culture: Six Themes
Features Of An Essential Question
• An essential question stimulates curiosity and interest.
• It requires critical thinking: analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating (cf. Bloom’s Taxonomy).
• It lends itself to cross-disciplinary inquiry.
• It does not have one “right” answer.
Tasks in L2 Learning, Teaching and Assessment(and Research)
• Tasks in learning and teaching (Ellis, 2003)•A task is designed to prompt meaning-focused communication1 •It is situationally or interactionally authentic•It may be designed to elicit a particular linguistic feature•It aims at a specific outcome
• Tasks and assessment•Formative assessment: linguistically focused activities•Summative assessment: linguistically “unfocused” tasks
1 From the four skills to the three modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, presentational
Formative and Summative Assessment
• Formative assessment demonstrates if students possess the content and linguistic knowledge necessary to accomplish the summative assessment (backward design).
• Formative assessment takes on many forms: questioning, observing, bell ringer/exit activities, graphic organizers, practice presentations, small group discussion, think/pair/share, peer editing, pretests, (practice) quizzes, self evaluation
• Summative assessment measures students’ ability, skill, and progress (to communicate) at a given point in time.
• Summative assessment engages students in meaning-based communicative tasks.
AP Language and Culture Course & Exam: Six Primary Learning Objectives8
•Spoken Interpersonal Communication•Written Interpersonal Communication•Audio, Visual and Audiovisual Interpretive Communication•Written and Print Interpretive Communication•Spoken Presentational Communication•Written Presentational Communication
AP Language and Culture Course & Exam Six Primary Learning Objectives
9
• Audio, Visual and Audiovisual Interpretive Communication• Written and Print Interpretive Communication
Multiple-Choice section of the exam
• Written Interpersonal Communication• E-mail Reply
• Spoken Interpersonal Communication• Conversation
• Written Presentational Communication• Persuasive Essay
• Spoken Presentational Communication• Cultural Comparison
Task 1: E-mail Reply
Task 1: E-mail Reply
Task 2: Persuasive Essay
Time — Approximately 55 minutesThema: Familie und GemeinschaftSie haben 6 Minuten Zeit, um das Aufsatzthema, das Quellenmaterial 1 und das Quellenmaterial 2 zu lesen.Aufsatzthema:Wann sollten junge Erwachsene von zu Hause ausziehen?
Task 2: Persuasive Essay
Task 2: Persuasive Essay
Task 2: Persuasive Essay
MP3 from AP Central Website
Task 3: Conversation
Task 3: Conversation
Task 3: Conversation
MP3 from AP Central
Task 4: Cultural Comparison
Developing Tasks Based On Good SourcesInterpersonal Speaking
InterpersonalWriting
PresentationalSpeaking
Presentational Writing
Conversation Email Reply Cultural Comparison
Persuasive Essay
Dialogue Text Message Infomercial Script for Play
Debate Letter (to the Editor/Friend…)
Role Play/Skit Advertisement
Phone Call Postcard Song Song Lyrics
Interview Blog Speech Newspaper Article
Speed Dating Twitter/Facebook(Social Media)
News Report Summary/Creative Writing
Sources: Migrantenbildung1. First Source - Article•Migranten: Bildung schlechter, Armut größerhttp://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/migranten-bildung-schlechter-armut-groesser_aid_407110.html2.Second Source - Chart•Lesekompetenz von Migrantenhttp://news.orf.at/static/images/site/news/20101249/pisa_ergebnisse_migranten_grafik_box_a.2034554.jpg3.Third Source - Article•Was macht eine gute Schule aus?http://dtj-online.de/News/Detail/543/was_macht_eine_gute_schule_aus.html4.Fourth Source – Article•Migranten fordern bessere Bildungschancenhttp://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/cps/rde/xchg/bst/hs.xsl/nachrichten_109425.htm5.Fifth Source – Audio (Dank Martin Loeffler, AP German Community)•Bildung von Migranten hängt auch von sozioökonomischen Status abhttp://www.dradio.de/aodflash/player.php?station=1&broadcast=9539&datum=20120626&playtime=1340714220&fileid=09a77bde&sendung=9539&beitrag=1795440&/•Transcript•http://www.dradio.de/dlf/sendungen/campus/1795440/
Written Presentational Communication
• Students examine three sources (print article, chart, audio).• Students write a persuasive essay on an essential question based on
the three sources.• Question: Which additional mode of communication is embedded in
the presentational writing task?
Partnerarbeit:What might be an essential question related to the topic
Migrantenbildung?What kind of summative assessment beyond the AP task might
demonstrate students’ effective treatment of this topic?What kind of formative assessment can we use to scaffold toward
summative assessment?
Rubricshttp://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap12_german_language_scoring_guidelines.pdf
AP® WORLD LANGUAGE AND CULTURE EXAMS 2012 SCORING GUIDELINES Interpersonal Writing: E-mail Reply
5: STRONG performance in Interpersonal Writing Maintains the exchange with a response that is clearly appropriate within the context of the task Provides required information (e.g., responses to questions, request for details) with frequent elaboration Fully understandable, with ease and clarity of expression; occasional errors do not impede comprehensibility Varied and appropriate vocabulary and idiomatic language Accuracy and variety in grammar, syntax and usage, with few errors Mostly consistent use of register appropriate for the situation; control of cultural conventions appropriate for formal correspondence (e.g.,
greeting, closing), despite occasional errors Variety of simple and compound sentences, and some complex sentences
4: GOOD performance in Interpersonal Writing Maintains the exchange with a response that is generally appropriate within the context of the task Provides required information (e.g., responses to questions, request for details) with some elaboration Fully understandable, with some errors which do not impede comprehensibility Varied and generally appropriate vocabulary and idiomatic language General control of grammar, syntax and usage Generally consistent use of register appropriate for the situation, except for occasional shifts; basic control of cultural conventions appropriate
for formal correspondence (e.g., greeting, closing) Simple, compound and a few complex sentences
3: FAIR performance in Interpersonal Writing Maintains the exchange with a response that is somewhat appropriate but basic within the context of the task Provides required information (e.g., responses to questions, request for details) Generally understandable, with errors that may impede comprehensibility Appropriate but basic vocabulary and idiomatic language Some control of grammar, syntax and usage Use of register may be inappropriate for the situation with several shifts; partial control of conventions for formal correspondence (e.g.,
greeting, closing) although these may lack cultural appropriateness Simple and a few compound sentences
2: WEAK performance in Interpersonal Writing Partially maintains the exchange with a response that is minimally appropriate within the context of the task Provides some required information (e.g., responses to questions, request for details) Partially understandable, with errors that force interpretation and cause confusion for the reader Limited vocabulary and idiomatic language Limited control of grammar, syntax and usage Use of register is generally inappropriate for the situation; includes some conventions for formal correspondence (e.g., greeting, closing) with
inaccuracies Simple sentences and phrases
1: POOR performance in Interpersonal Writing Unsuccessfully attempts to maintain the exchange by providing a response that is inappropriate within the context of the task Provides little required information (e.g., responses to questions, request for details) Barely understandable, with frequent or significant errors that impede comprehensibility Very few vocabulary resources Little or no control of grammar, syntax and usage Minimal or no attention to register; includes significantly inaccurate or no conventions for formal correspondence (e.g., greeting, closing) Very simple sentences or fragments
0: UNACCEPTABLE performance in Interpersonal Writing Mere restatement of language from the stimulus Completely irrelevant to the stimulus “I don’t know,” “I don’t understand” or equivalent in any language Not in the language of the exam
- (hyphen): BLANK (no response)
Rubricshttp://www.carla.umn.edu/assessment/vac/Evaluation/p_6.html
Figure 1. Generic Rubric for Oral Presentations -
Intermediate Level Learners
Exemplary— 4 —
Accomplished— 3 —
Developing— 2 —
Beginning— 1 —
Comprehen-sibility
Listeners accustomed to the speech of learners are able to
understand all of the presentation.
Listeners accustomed to the speech of learners are able to
understand most of the presentation.
Listeners accustomed to the speech of learners are able to
understand the main ideas and some details of the
presentation.
Listeners accustomed to the speech of learners are able to understand isolated bits of the
presentation.
Text Type
Describes, narrates, and/or expresses own thoughts in paragraph-level discourse.
Describes, narrates, and/or expresses own thoughts in
connected strings of sentences.
Speaks in loosely connected sentences.
Speaks in unconnected sentences and phrases.
LanguageControl
High degree of accuracy in grammar and word choice in connected, rehearsed, and
occasionally complex discourse. Little or no interference from first
language.
Usually accurate grammar and word choice in
connected, rehearsed discourse. Occasional interference from first
language.
Frequent, but usually minor, grammar and word choice
errors in rehearsed, sentence-level discourse.
Significant interference from first language.
Comprehension is impeded by frequent grammar and
word choice errors in rehearsed discourse. High degree of interference from
first language.
VocabularyUse
Uses a broad range of familiar and new words,
phrases, and idioms so that expression is highly varied
and non-repetitive.
Uses an adequate range of familiar and new words,
phrases, and idioms so that expression is varied and only
occasionally repetitive.
Uses familiar words, phrases, and idioms, and rarely
attempts to go beyond basic vocabulary. Speech is
repetitive and lacks variety.
Uses very basic vocabulary and memorized phrases.
Speech is limited and highly repetitive.
CommunicationStrategies
Always maintains communication. Able to
circumlocute and self-correct when needed. Use of memory aids enhances presentation.
Very few breaks in communication. Sometimes
able to circumlocute and self-correct. Effective use of
memory aids.
Frequent breaks in communication. Rarely able
to circumlocute or self-correct. Use of memory aids
sometimes detracts from presentation.
Generally unable to maintain communication. Overreliance on memory aids detracts from
presentation.
Finding Sources• AP German Community https://apcommunity.collegeboard.org/group/apgerman/resource-library/• Spiegel Onlinehttp://www.spiegel.de/• Deutsche Wellehttp://www.dw.de• Tagesschauhttp://www.tagesschau.de/• Die Welthttp://www.welt.de/• ARD Radiohttp://www.ard.de/radio/• Statista Website (Infografik)http://de.statista.com/• Naturschutzbund Deutschland (Nabu)http://www.nabu.de/naturerleben/podcast/
